Gangster No. 1
IFC Films | Release Date: June 14, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
60
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
3
Negative:
2
Watch Now
Buy on

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
New Times (L.A.)Gregory Weinkauf
While you think you're watching just another in a series of British gangster films, you may suddenly realize that you're watching what is, thus far, the year's best horror movie.
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Taut, corrosive and compelling, Gangster No. 1 has the galvanic appeal of "Little Caesar" and "Scarface" in its full-sized portrait of a brilliant but twisted and savage criminal. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Like almost everything in this clever, brutal and strangely soulful movie, the time and place are accomplished by suggestion. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
A canny, derivative, wildly gruesome portrait of a London sociopath who's the scariest of sadists, in part because he's also a very courtly one. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
There's a touch of second-rate playwriting about it that imparts a flattened feel to the end of an otherwise crackerjack picture. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
This conclusion is too pat to be satisfying, but the film has a kind of hard, cold effect. Read full review
70
Film ThreatTim Merrill
Works on so many levels that it must be reckoned with. It certainly feels unique, and sets itself apart from most American gangster films in its stark refusal to paint the lead gangster as likable or indeed anything other than the vicious socio-psychopath he is. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
The psychological underpinnings give this picture a charged emotional atmosphere. The dizzying unspoken feelings between the two men mesh so well that the movie seems to have been worked out like a perverse drawing-room comedy. Read full review
70
Rolling StonePeter Travers
It's Bettany's portrait of the monster as a young man that rivets attention. So remember the name, or don't. Just watch Bettany strut his stuff. You'll know a star when you see one. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
The movie's key asset is young Bettany as a worthy successor to the "Clockwork Orange" tradition of McDowell. With Bettany, a star is born, even if his character is horrific.
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The movie's captivating details are all in the performances, from Foreman's barking-mad Taylor to Thewlis's smoothly sinister Freddie and Bettany/McDowell's hard-eyed gangster, an amoral bottom-feeder with an expedient streak of sadism. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
We're left with a metallic aftertaste. Read full review
40
VarietyDerek Elley
Often nastily violent, and defiantly foul-mouthed in a realistic but dramatically unnecessary way, this portrait of a ruthless young hood in '60s London has several fine qualities but dilutes them with disorganized direction. Read full review
38
New York PostMegan Lehmann
See it only for Paul Bettany's performance. Read full review
30
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
The actors all function as best they can as glowering clichés, though the narrative's temporal jump presents difficulties. Read full review
More From This Movie

60 Critic Reviews

8.4 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 71 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL